Bright blessings for Samhain!

Well- I had to look it up....

http://www.chalicecentre.net/samhain.htm

Interesting!! Does that mean we celebrate tomorrow too???( any excuse for a good nosh up!!)

Thanks for that everdream.

Thank you Everdream and blessings to you too xxx

Blessings to you all, I will be lighting a fire to night and reflecting with friends and probably all the neighbours kids.

Mandy x

Blessings to each also. I am in the midst of organising a party for tonight - mad or what!

Happy new year to all the fellow pagans we will bedoing something going to alderly edge in a bit Mrs D will proberbly send a biger message than me

Greetings and Samhain Blessings to all those who share a Pagan Path!

Many thanks for the blessings, and I hope your celebrations are enlightening, enjoyable and as full of meaning as I know ours will be!

Our ideal way to mark the Sabbat would be to do a rite at night on Alderley Edge, but as the area is a Mecca for kids on this one night of the year and there is always a huge Police presence, its not somewhere that can be easily accessed by most (tho we have managed it in the past).

We will be visiting the Edge today, and celebrating in our own way, then tonight its looking like we are going to celebrate with those we normally practice with, only a 30 mile trip each way, but after the great time we had at the Samhain Party on Saturday it would be nice to be together with them all tonight!

Bright Blessings to all of you.

Can I ask Mrs D what's so special about Alderley Edge?

I'll leave Mrs D to explain,....but it's not far from us and last year I'm pretty sure the police closed the road to keep the numbers down.
Hope you managed to get there today OK Dobbies?

Enjoy your celebrations, I don't follow any faith but respect the rights of others to follow their own paths. There seem to be quite a few pagans on the 'vine', it must be their need to be close to the earth & nature coming out! I realise the significance of Alderley Edge too & believe sometimes thousands of people head there on Halloween, it's a lovely place to go for a walk any time of year though.Believe the 'Wizard' there is a good place to eat also, but very expensive!

Try this link http://www.alderleyedge.org/index.htm

But I would also like to here Mrs D's experience and thoughts.

Mandy

Hmm, the Alderley Edge I am talking about is actually an area of Ancient woodland that crests a sandstone outcropping atop a steep and high ridge with views across the Cheshire Plain, rather than the more modern town of Alderley Edge, beloved of footballers and their wives (rather an exclusive and expensive place to live!)

The woodland is more correctly known as Nether Alderley, stretches for about 2 miles in each direction or the ridge line, and evidence has been found of habitation going back to the Mesolithic and mining activities back to the early Iron age, in fact the whole hill is riddled with caves and mines that it is believed stretch for almost 10 miles in length underground!

It is a beautiful, peaceful and powerful natural place to visit during the day, one that totally relaxes and rejuvenates those that visit for a quiet walk in the woods, but to visit it at night is a totally different experience, the woods that were welcoming during the day now seem dark, mysterious and distinctly foreboding! It is not a nocturnal place to visit for those who are not staunch of heart and of resolve!

It is reputed to be one of the places that King Arthur is said to be sleeping, watched over by Merlin, and knowing the site intimately, I could honestly believe it!

A story from the middle ages has it that a farmer on his way to market to sell his horse was met by an old man (Merlin) who bid him to follow him inside the 'Golden Gates' where the farmer found himself in a cave, seeing Arthur and his Knights asleep, waiting for when they would next be needed. Merlin then told the man he needed to buy his horse as a replacement horse for one of the knights, the man duly sold it for a bag of gold, then left hoping to be able to refind the gates again and to thus rob the treasures within the caves, alas he could never find the gates again!

Another legend more rarely spoken of is that of a Celtic Warrior Band who defended the Edge against the Romans after Boudicca had fallen and after being betrayed by one of their order (Cartimandua), in order that others could escape and to allow a better defense to be mounted further towards Wales. The leader of the band was a woman named Bonesigaur, who knew that the band was doomed, but determined that they would sell themselves dearly! Her soul mate was a man named Rhuddcaddug, who operated as an archer with the band, and whilst Bonesigaur held a 'col' on the edge (just down from stormy point) he protected her by shooting arrows from cover to keep her safe, until he ran down to his last arrow. After a long time of beating back the romans finally they were defeated, with Bonesigaur falling after being struck from behind. Rhuddcaddug waited hidden to avenge his fallen love, until Cartimandua came to gloat at the fallen body of Bonesigaur, then he struck, his arrow flying true into her black heart, before the Romans responded by hacking him to pieces! The name of Bonesigaur means Golden Lady, a reference ot her golden hair, and it has been speculated that the Golden Gates is actually a reference to the col that she defended!

Many other legends of the area speak of Witches gathering on the Edge, and it is widely known at differing times throughout the last century that Aleister Crowley, Alex Saunders and many others used the Edge as a site for their practices, indeed if you know what to look for, then their are signs that the place is still used today by many differing folk!

No matter the history or legends that surround the place, it is a place of power, somewhere that we find has a pull and somewhere very special to us both, we even spent a night up there with a friend at Imbolg 2005 in temperatures of -6C, holding vigil until the sun rose in the morning, a very magical place indeed!

Hope this helps to explain some of the specialness of the place to us both!

Thanks for that Mrs D, very interesting. I don't follow any religion or path, but if I did I think it would be the pagan path. Bright Blessings to all!

Very interesting Mrs D. Thanks for taking time to type all that.

ps I reckon you're more likely to have the real King Arthur up there, than the one we get down here at Avebury!

It's Glastonbury thats supposed to be Avalon.
Aveburys lovely thou, and stanton drew.